Darkest Knight
by DarkSoulessOne
Summary: When determined young Landon decides to venture past the safety of the Wall, he will discover something, or someone, that could help him change the humans' view of the alien race forever. Rated M for later chapters. XenoM/M
1. Chapter 1

"I'm serious guys," I protested as my friends chuckled at my proposition. "What if they're not all that bad? Don't you at least want to _see_ one?"

Luke scoffed, "I've already seen one." I stared at him with my mouth hanging open, "Really?" I asked, bewildered.

"Well, yeah," he began, "in a textbook."

I groaned aloud and I heard Ashley snicker to my right. "I mean in real life! Wouldn't it be cool to see one up close, to _touch_ one?" I exclaimed, my growing excitement showing by the rising volume of my voice.

Ashley put her arm around me and pulled me in close. "You're such a xenomorphie, Landon!" She giggled lightly and pecked me on the forehead. "It's all right, though," she teased, "we love you anyway. Isn't that right Luke?" She released me in favor of hanging off of her boyfriend's arm. He gave a small 'hmph' then grinned and lightly punched me in the arm. "Of course dude."

I smiled back and brushed my blonde bangs out of my face and pushed my thick, black-rimmed glasses up my nose with the heel of my hand. A chilly breeze rolled by and rustled the color-changing leaves of the nearby trees. Shivering slightly I pulled my black hoodie tighter around myself.

Suddenly a gunshot sounded high above us and we all froze. Simultaneously, we each looked up to see the Wall towering over us.

"One must have tried to climb the Wall again…" Ashley said shakily and held onto Luke tighter. In turn he brought his arm around her and went to steer her away, looking to me when he said "Let's get out of here, yeah?"

My eyes lingered a bit longer on the intimidating form of the Wall. Finally, I turned to follow my friends. I walked behind them while Luke tried to cheer Ashley back up by reassuring her and making jokes. As I walked, I thought.

I was having a sort of inner war with myself. One part of me knew that I should fear these alien creatures. They had killed so many, easily reducing the human population from seven billion to just one-point-three million in just over a week. We named the event the Darkest Nights after the midnight black color of the Xenomorphs.

I don't remember it because I was only a baby at the time. Maybe that's why I couldn't bring myself to hate the aliens, because I hadn't seen first-hand the horrors they were capable of. But then again, both of my parents were ripped away from me and my sister. So maybe I should be like her and despise them with every fiber of my being.

I shook my head, _I can't think like that. I can't really hate something when it killed parents I didn't even know…_

That last thought may have sounded a bit heartless, but it was the truth. It's like when you watch a movie and some guy the main character knew gets killed. You as the watcher don't feel anything for them really, because he wasn't onscreen that long and you didn't get a chance to get to know him. He was just a face and a voice.

I sigh. "Guys," the couple turn to look at me, "I'm gonna head on home, okay?" They nod and we part while saying our goodbyes over our shoulders. I walked for a couple of blocks, the wind whistling and dancing around me with every step. I finally reached my small house I shared with my older sister, Sarah. I jogged up the concrete steps and walkway to our front door. I retrieve my key and unlock it. Sarah was at work at the Xeno Center and I knew she wouldn't be home for a couple more hours. I stood at the threshold for a while, contemplating.

I finally made my decision as I ran to my small but comfortable bedroom and grabbed a small black leather backpack. I stuffed it with my Nikon D50 digital camera, another lens, a flashlight, and an extra hoodie. I pulled on some fingerless black gloves and grabbed a bottle of water as an afterthought. I looked down at my feet. My last pair of hiking boots was sorrowfully deceased. I shrugged; my black converse would have to do.

I locked the front door behind me and trotted back down the steps. As I walked I checked my watch; I still had three hours until sunset, the town curfew. I tried to act inconspicuous as I made my way to the woods nearest the Wall's base. The towering trees were like ants compared to the massive height of the Wall, making me feel like a grain of sand. After close to half an hour of traveling through the underbrush, I found was I was looking for.

It was a small Watergate, a passage that allowed the east river to flow through the Wall. As far as I knew, there were only three others, one to the west, north and south. However, because of the Xenomorphs' acidic blood, we had to place thick metal bars over each waterway entrance. That was also the reason why we built the Wall a mile high and about three hundred feet thick with brick; so they couldn't burn through it. But I knew something neither the Guard Corps nor the Xenomorphs knew; how to get in and out of the Wall.

I had discovered it about a month ago, but I never had the courage to pass through until that day.

I started stomping down on the ground near the base of the Wall, searching for it. After several stomps, my foot finally made a creaking sound. Excitement grew in me as I bent down and used my hands to search for the latch. My right hand brushed over cool metal and I grasped the handle. With a small grunt I hefted up the doorway. I stood up and stared down at the old wooden steps leading into the dark tunnel. My heart pounding, I reached into my backpack and retrieved my flashlight. I clicked it on and shined it down the tunnel. Then I steeled my nerves and carefully stepped down the stairs that moaned under my weight.

My feet made contact with the ground and I reached my left hand out to guide me, feeling nothing but dampened earth under my fingertips. I pushed my glasses up and scratched my nose, things I do when I'm nervous or excited. I started forward then paused looking over my shoulder up into the daylight through the doorway. _Maybe I shouldn't do this. What if I'm wrong about the Xenomorphs and I get caught and killed? Or worse, used as a host? Sarah would tear herself apart with guilt. _Quickly, I whipped my head back forward. _No,_ I thought, renewed determination making me walk on, _I have to prove that there is more to the aliens. We don't have to keep living in fear of them. They aren't just mindless killing machines. They __**can't**__ be. _

I pushed my thoughts away and focused on where I was going. Since I had never been through the tunnel before, I didn't know what to expect. So you can image my disappointment when I ran into a dead end. _There has to be a way out._ I looked up and started jumping so I could hit the roof of the tunnel. Frustration was probably evident in my caramel eyes as my efforts were futile. Finally, my hand pushed open the latch a little bit. It wasn't much, but it was enough to allow the sunlight to creep through. I put my flashlight back into my backpack and put all of my efforts into jumping and opening the latch further.

Finally, after I thought my legs would give out on me, the latch fell back. Staring bewilderedly and panting, I jumped one more time and grasped the ledge. Grunting and cursing I pulled myself up. I tiredly rolled into my back beside the opened latch and fought to catch my breath. I looked up to see the Wall towering over me, like it always did. But I knew that this time I was looking at it from the _outside_ and with that realization came a sense of freedom. All my life I had been locked inside that damn Wall, and there I was finally free from it!

I basked in my newfound freedom. I laid there slowly regaining my breath and strength with my eyes closed and a small smile on my lips. However, I knew I had to close the latch again and get a move on before someone or something found me. I got up off the grass and brushed off my clothes before turning and closing the latch. I looked around me and found a fairly sized stick. I picked it up and stabbed it into the ground near the latch so when I came back I knew where to find it. Looking up at the Wall one more time, I turned and started walking through the thick forest.

There wasn't much of a difference between the forest I just left on the other side of the Wall to the one I was in. Trees and bushes were all around me, creating a vast shadow that I walked through. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted some color. I turned my head and saw yellow lilies. I hurried over, grabbing my camera out of my pack as I did. I bent down and examined the flower before realizing it was a Canada Lily characterized by its brown spots.

I brought my camera to my right eye and centered the flower so that the sun created the perfect shadow. I took several different pictures from different angles.

When I was taking the last one, a butterfly landed on my lily and I smiled, thinking it to be a perfect shot. Just as I was focusing my camera, however, I saw something in the background that I hadn't noticed before. When I recognized the black figure though, I froze, still looking at it through my camera lens.

The butterfly flew away, I noted distantly, as I slowly lowered my camera to stare at the creature. Now that I look back, I wondered why I didn't take the picture. The Xenomorph was actually quite majestic at that moment. The sun created a glimmer on his skin and made it have an almost blue tint. His body was facing away from me and he was crouched, his long tail curled around him. His head, however, was tilted in my direction. It was almost as though he had been previously preoccupied with something before happening to notice me, same as I did with him.

We stared at each other for a long moment, both of us still. Nothing seemed to exist except for just us, the forest quiet and seemingly watching our exchange.

Then he charged.

**I'm soooo sorry! I know I should be working on School is in Session, but this idea would just NOT leave my head! I promise to update SS soon though, don't you worry my lovely readers****. Until then I would love it if you guys could tell me what you think of this story. And before you ask, yes it will be a yaoi if you haven't already guessed. I'll rate it M in case I decide to do some interspecies lovin if ya know what I mean *wink wink nudge nudge* Again, thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

_Fuckshitbitchohgodhe'srunningtowardmewhyareyousuch adumbassLandon?!_

I cursed as I looked over my shoulder to see the xenomorph hot on my heels. Seeing how close he was encouraged my legs to run faster. My mind raced as I tried to retrace my steps, but I knew it was a lost cause. There was no way I could remember where the doorway was and concentrate on running for my life at the same time!

I looked back over my shoulder to see he wasn't there. Against my better judgment, I slowed until I came to a halt, still staring back looking for him. Cautiously, I looked up into the trees around me, expecting the alien to pounce from one of the branches. My labored breaths were the only thing I could hear when I strained my ears to see if I could find him by sound.

After a while, my heart began to calm itself as the alien failed to make an appearance. _Maybe it lost interest?_ My brows furrowed as I mulled that thought around in my head. According to our Xenomorphology class, one would always take the chance they had to capture a human and use them as a host. _This one just, what? Decided I wasn't good enough to be a host? _I found I was a bit offended by that thought.

I jumped about a mile in the air when I heard a menacing hiss behind me. The sound seemed to jumpstart my previously calm heart as well as it began to go into overdrive. Slowly and fearfully, I turned around only to come face-to-face with death itself.

Being up close and horribly personal with the beast allowed me to see features I hadn't seen through my camera lens. Like his grooved head that showed he was in the Warrior caste. Also, I hadn't figured him to be so big; he towered over me at an intimidating height of at least eight feet. If I squinted through the thick lens of my glasses, I could make out a scar that went down and over his lips, ending at the tip of his jaw.

Another hiss and his step forward alerted me to the fact that I was staring, which is rather rude. I lowered my eyes submissively and took a small and slow step back. This rewarded me with another aggressive hiss.

"_Do not dare run human."_

I felt my eyes widened to the size of saucers as I gasped and looked up. The beast was staring at me intently and I bet that if I could see his eyes they would be narrowed.

I licked my lips nervously, "Did…did you say that?"

The alien tilted his head just the slightest bit and I heard that deep voice in my head again as it asked suspiciously, "_Can you hear me, human?"_

I blinked before nodding wildly. Excited that I could understand him, but also afraid as to how he would react, I watched him with wide eyes. I barely had time to blink before I was forced to back into a tree with his face all up in my grill. "What…!" I began fearfully but was silenced as he gently leaned his forehead onto mine. It must have been as uncomfortable for him as it was for me since I had my head tilted back as far as it would go and he was stooped to my level due to our big height difference. But surprisingly, neither of us made a move. Although for me it was probably because I was too scared to even breathe.

Suddenly he moved back quickly as though he had been shocked. Now a safe distance away, he stared at me again. Then he got on all fours and headed off into the shadows.

I held my breath and waited until I was sure he had gone. Then I dropped to the ground, my shaking legs no longer able to support my weight. I leaned up against the rough bark of the tree and gulped in air, my heart racing.

_What the f-ing hell was that?!_ As far as I knew, a xenomorph had never acted that way towards a human. _But then again,_ I thought to myself as I caught my breath, _a xenomorph and a human have never interacted before either._

I sighed and slowly got to my unsteady feet. Deeming them sturdy enough, I started making my way through the foliage to try and find the doorway. I constantly looked over my shoulder, making sure the xenomorph wouldn't change his mind and decide to hunt me down. I noted worriedly that the sun was sinking lower behind the forest. If I didn't get home in time, Sarah would know I was up to something.

Finally, after losing my way at least five times, I spotted the protruding stick I had placed there when I came out. Like before, I used my foot to find the doorway, and then pulled up the latch. Sending one more wary glance over my shoulder, I jumped down. I let out a pained 'ow' when my feet hit the solid earth and sent a painful tremor through my legs. _I really need to build some stairs here…_

Soon I found myself making my way home. I was in the house just in time for the sun's final rays to disappear. I also noted, as I made my way to my bedroom, that Sarah wasn't back yet. That meant she was either pulling another all-nighter or she was spending the night at her boyfriend's house. I grimace at the thought of my sister and the town's governor getting it on. I mean the guy was like twenty years older than her! Seriously, gross.

I locked my door behind me and kicked off my shoes. I pulled my camera out of my bag and flopped onto my bed. A bit unsure, I turned it on and, before I could second guess myself, started flipping through the pictures I had taken on my…outing. They really were some pretty good shots, and I was a little regretful that I hadn't taken the picture with the butterfly, photo-bombing xenomorph or not.

I was examining one photo when I saw it, or rather _him_, in the background. My brow furrowed, and even as I zoomed into the picture I had to squint through my glasses (I really am blind). The fact that he was there in every picture I took wasn't what really surprised me. It was the fact that in every one his head was facing _me_, like it was when I first realized he was there. This knowledge left me a little curious. _Why didn't he attack me while I was off-guard? I hadn't noticed him at the time, so why didn't he take that opportunity to strike?_ I frowned.

There was no doubt this xenomorph intrigued me, and from the looks of the photos I seemed to have piqued his interest as well. Even though I knew it was dangerous and probably life-threatening, I knew I had already made up my mind about going back to see him. _But wait,_ I thought, _how do I know that I'll run into him again? What if another less-friendly xenomorph that I can't communicate with? Is, like, that particular area of the forest his what? His jurisdiction? Territory?_

I shook my head. I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I was going to find him again, only this time I planned on getting some answers.


End file.
